Sandy Hook in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Rodman Gun
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
1. Rodman Gun Marker
Developed in the Civil War era, this type of 20-inch gun gave the U.S. the largest muzzle-loading cannon ever made. At the same time, however, rifled guns were being developed which made all smoothbore cannon obsolete.
With spin from spiral grooves inside the barrel, pointed projectiles from rifled cannon could travel farther and with greater accuracy than cannonballs from smoothbore weapons. During the Civil War, rifled artillery easily penetrated the thick masonry walls of several coastal forts, which influenced the Army to abandon construction of a masonry fort on Sandy Hook.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location. 40° 27.917′ N, 74° 0.338′ W. Marker is in Middletown Township, New Jersey, in Monmouth County. It is in Sandy Hook. It is on Gateway NRA road, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in Fort Hancock Historic District in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Highlands NJ 07732, United States of America.
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Regionally, this marker is in New Jersey’s Central Jersey, specifically on the Jersey Shore, and in the New York City Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mule Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); Fire House Number 1 (within shouting distance of this marker); Post Chapel (within shouting distance of this marker); Ferry Landing and Chapel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Officers Row (about 300 feet away); 200 Years of Service (about 400 feet away); Protecting American Coasts (about 400 feet away); Post Theater (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Middletown Township.
More about this marker. The left side of the marker contains a picture of a
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
2. Rodman Gun at Sandy Hook
Also see . . .
1. 20 Inch Rodman Gun. Civil War Wiki entry (Submitted on March 8, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Sandy Hook Proving Ground. National Park Service, Gateway National Recreation Area website entry (Submitted on March 8, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
3. Marker in Fort Hancock Historic District
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
4. Rodman Gun
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
5. Closeup of Rodman Gun
This cannon was produced at Fort Pitt Foundry, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1869. Weighing, as the marker states 115,100 pounds, it was among the heaviest muzzle-loading weapons ever produced. It bears the registry number "2." The only other weapon of it's type produced is on display at Fort Hamilton, New York.
Internet Archive
6. Major Thomas J. Rodman
from Harper's Weekly Vol. VIII, No. 412, Saturday, November 19, 1864.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 24, 2010
7. 20-inch Rodman Gun
This Rodman Gun is found near Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, NY.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,490 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on March 9, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 22, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 6. submitted on April 7, 2019, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on April 24, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
